Articles by Dinesh Manhotra

Health

Foreign-Trained Doctors Under Lens After "White Coat" Terror Module Bust

After the busting of the "White Coat" terror module, intelligence agencies have intensified surveillance on doctors who pursued their MBBS degrees abroad, especially in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Although all foreign-trained doctors are under the scanner, authorities are specifically focusing on those who obtained MBBS degrees in Pakistan through recommendations made by leaders of the separatist All-Party Hurriyat Conference. Before the professional-seats scam was unearthed in 2020, the Hurriyat Conference used to send students every year to Pakistan for MBBS and Engineering degrees. According to police, students from the Kashmir Valley went to Pakistan annually for higher studies, particularly for medical degrees. In 2020, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) exposed the racket involving students, Pakistan High Commission officials, and separatist leaders from Kashmir. The NIA had described the admission of J&K students to medical colleges in Pakistan on separatists' recommendations as an "alternative mechanism" for terror funding in the Valley. According to police, "after receiving authentic inputs that some Hurriyat leaders were selling Pakistan-based MBBS seats in connivance with educational consultancy firms, the Counter-Intelligence Kashmir registered a case in July 2020." Investigations revealed that the money collected from parents of aspiring students was being used to support and finance terrorism and separatism in multiple ways. Police claimed that, on average, the cost of one seat ranged between Rs 10 to 12 lakh, with the price being reduced in some cases after intervention by Hurriyat leaders. Based on available evidence, a conservative estimate indicated that around Rs 4 crore per year was generated through this illegal admission racket. Every year, a minimum of 40 MBBS seats were allegedly allocated to Hurriyat leaders for sale. Hurriyat operatives also used consultancy firms to lure students with fake 'national talent search' examinations. In some cases, parents were taken across the border on valid travel documents but were later coerced into paying additional money for their children's admission to Pakistani universities and colleges. Parents trapped in the Hurriyat's game plan were forced to pay the extra money either online or through agents operating in Kashmir Valley. Many complied with the diktats of Pakistan-based Hurriyat leaders or Kashmiri-origin terrorists to secure MBBS admissions in Pakistan. Sources said authorities have now placed under surveillance those doctors who recently returned to India—including Jammu and Kashmir—after completing their medical degrees in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Importantly, Dr. Umar Mohammad, alias Umar-un-Nabi, a doctor from Pulwama in south Kashmir, has emerged as the most radicalised and key operative in the network spanning Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Four other doctors—Dr. Muzammil Shakeel Ganai of Pulwama (J&K), Dr. Adeel Ahmed Rather of Anantnag (J&K), Dr Umar Farooq, Srinagar and Dr. Shaheen Saeed of Lucknow (U.P.)—along with Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay of Shopian (J&K), were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after the "White Coat" terror module was busted. According to NIA findings, all four doctors played significant roles in the terror conspiracy that claimed several innocent lives and left many injured. They had previously been arrested by the J&K Police.

Technology

Normalcy returns to Ladakh month after unprecedented violence; stalled dialogue resumes

Exactly a month after the unprecedented violence in the history of Ladakh that claimed four lives, normalcy has returned to the region following the Union Government's announcement of a judicial probe and the resumption of the stalled dialogue after nearly five months. Four people were killed and 90 others injured when a bandh call given by the youth wing of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) turned violent on September 24. Following the violence, authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in Leh and restrictions in other parts of Ladakh. Three days later, Ladakh authorities arrested climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the Public Safety Act (PSA) while he was on a hunger strike. Wangchuk was later shifted to Jodhpur Jail in Rajasthan. "We are hopeful that the resumption of dialogue with the Ministry of Home Affairs will help in resolving the long-pending genuine demands of the people," Hanifa Jan, Lok Sabha member from Ladakh, told The International Business Times. He said the October 22 meeting between Ladakh representatives and officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs was held in a cordial atmosphere. Hanifa Jan was part of the delegation that met MHA representatives in New Delhi on October 22. Stalled Dialogue Resumes After Five Months The stalled dialogue between the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and representatives of Ladakh resumed on October 22 in New Delhi—nearly five months after talks were last held. During the meeting, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) raised two major demands: granting Ladakh statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. They also sought compensation for the families of those killed and injured in the September 24 violence, revocation of the PSA imposed on climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, and the release of all detainees from jails. The agitating Ladakhi groups had earlier set a judicial probe into the September 24 violence as a precondition for resuming talks with the Union Government. On October 17, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced a judicial inquiry into the police firing that led to the deaths of four protesters in Leh. A retired Supreme Court judge, Justice B. S. Chauhan, was appointed to probe the circumstances that resulted in the firing. In a statement, the MHA said: "On 24.09.2025, a serious law and order situation arose in Leh town, resulting in police action that led to the unfortunate death of four individuals. To ensure an impartial inquiry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, has notified a judicial inquiry to be conducted by Dr. Justice B. S. Chauhan into the circumstances leading to the incident, the police action, and the resultant deaths." Following the announcement of the judicial probe, the agitating groups promptly agreed to resume dialogue with the Union Government, leading to the October 22 meeting. According to reports, the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere, during which representatives of the LAB and KDA reiterated their key demands and emphasized the need for time-bound meetings and the early resolution of issues. MHA officials reportedly assured the LAB and KDA that the Sub-Committee meeting, held on October 22, would soon be followed by a High-Powered Committee (HPC) meeting, likely in the first or second week of November.